Melissa Gilbert leaves NYC amid husband Timothy Busfield's legal troubles

Melissa Gilbert is leaving the Big Apple apartment she shared with husband Timothy Busfield after eight years.

The "Little House on the Prairie" actress announced the move in an Instagram post June 23. The update comes as Busfield continues to contest criminal charges filed earlier this year in New Mexico.

"So long perfect little one bedroom apartment on the Upper West Side. The last eight years here have been so special. A lot of amazing work was done in and around this city," she wrote in the post's caption. "So many theaters and soundstages. So many wonderful dinners with friends and nights out on the town.

Busfield was arrested in January in connection with allegations involving minors on the set of Fox's "The Cleaning Lady." On Feb. 6, a New Mexico grand jury indicted the "West Wing" actor on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child. He is currently seeking to have the indictment dismissed.

Gilbert, who has been married to Busfield since 2013, said she will miss walking around "our neighborhood" as well as the people she has met on subway rides and the New York streets.

"This city truly has a pulse. You can feel it in your heart. Goodbye favorite newsstand, bodega, dance studio, and laundry. Goodbye shoe repair, dry cleaners, nail salon," she added. "And a very fond 'farewell and see you soon' to our favorite city in the world. I promise we will be back it’s just that right now…..well….you know."

She concluded: "Excited to live in our wonderful home upstate full time for a good long while."

Timothy Busfield is challenging his New Mexico indictment

Busfield filed a motion on June 18 asking a New Mexico court to throw out his February indictment on child sex-abuse allegations, according to documents obtained by USA TODAY.

"The state has abdicated its role of administering justice and instead pursued an indictment against Mr. Busfield at the cost of evidence, Mr. Busfield's rights, and the independence and integrity of the grand jury," the filing says.

Busfield is facing four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child stemming from alleged incidents that occurred between late 2022 and early 2024 when he was a director on "The Cleaning Lady." Prosecutors say he allegedly abused two twin boys who were actors on the series when they were 7 and 8.

While Busfield's attorney, Larry Stein, previously told USA TODAY in a statement that "the indictment was not unexpected," he has maintained Busfield's innocence.

"As the saying goes, a grand jury will indict a ham sandwich. What is deeply concerning is that the District Attorney is choosing to proceed on a case that is fundamentally unsound and cannot be proven at trial," Stein said. "The detention hearing exposed fatal weaknesses in the State’s evidence — gaps that no amount of charging decisions can cure.""This prosecution appears driven by something other than the facts or the law," he continued. "Mr. Busfield will fight these charges at every stage and looks forward to testing the State’s case in open court — where evidence matters — not behind closed doors."

Speaking to Good Morning America in April, Gilbert said she is "100% confident [Busfield] will be exonerated." She continued, "And believe me, if I thought for a second that Tim Busfield hurt a child, he'd have a lot more to worry about than prison."

Contributing: Liza Esquibias, USA TODAY